Brayered Backgrounds {Part 2} by Leandra Franich

Hi Everyone

It's Leandra back tonight, with part 2 of the brayered backgrounds where I use on the whole, various opaque paints. There is a knack to introducing colours that aren't the best of friends using snowflake as a 'block'. In part 1 (here) I showed you the basic brayer technique with monotone shades, but this time, its all about using lots of random colours to create a more colourful background.

No doubt you are all nearing the finish line in your Christmas preparations. I feel miles away from that point having been less than productive due to a severe bout of sinusitis for the last 3 weeks, but I am doing a little each day to get there. I have yet to plan the meals for the Christmas through to New Year period, with about 9 people in the house to feed and water. But they are all adults, and I might just sit back on the couch and delgate! I have already got the wine in and the gifts are all wrapped so that's the important things done at least! 

Down here on the farm there is a shooting group who turns up to cull pheasants, ducks etc. After a recent shoot, the head gamekeeper (how British does that sound!) dropped around yesterday with 2 ducks, pheasants and partridges for us! Perfect timing, as I was not feeling like going out to get them from the local farm shop! He knows we love to make our own 3 bird roast, so all that remains is to sort the various stuffings and buy either a rather large chicken or small turkey to pack those three into! We have been doing this for Christmas dinner for a few years now, thanks to the great you Tube videos out there, it's not that hard at all to do!

So, back to the video... I'm hoping you will find 5 minutes to give this technique a go after the madness of Christmas is over! It really is so much fun, and you can use all kinds of colour combinations. 

This video shows how to take the basic technique to the next level with the use of multiple colours. In Part 3, I'll ramp it up another level with plenty of abstract stamping.

If paint is new for you, then the opaques are the way to start (right hand side of picture below). With transluscent paints, it takes a little bit more thought and planning, but I do show a bit of that at the end of the video to add brightness (left hand side of the picture below).

So grab a cuppa and check out the video below. 

Here's how the finished sheet looks with all the colours shown below. I used a brayer with a quarter of a craft mat as a palette, and Snowflake, Candy Floss, Orchid, Lilac, Mermaid, Bora Bora, Guacamole, Tinned Peas (all opaque), with the 2 translucents, Beach Hut and Limelight to add brightness and depth.

I hope you have found that useful, but it's not the final, there is still another level to add with some abstract stamping. that will follow at the end of the month, in about a week. Again, lots more fun and variations on this technique to explore! DOn't forget to go and check out Ellen Vargo and how she uses the brayer, she is the master of bright bold colours, time is well spent having a good browse around her blog!

Leandra

Tomorrow we start a series of blog posts of the #3UP variety, a marvellous way to end the year with our own blog followers volunteering to show their ideas with PaperArtsy Stamps and paints. This feature always causes great excitement and interest, and as ever, they have all created some amazing ideas for you to enjoy over the festive period!

There is still plenty of time to join in in the December challenge, you have until the end of the month to join in and you might be the recipient of a £50 voucher to spend in the PaperArtsy online shop. Link your creativity here.